There's no place like home

The lack of internet access anywhere except during my brief stay in Tbilisi at the beginning and end of my deployment resulted in me being "off the grid" for a while - but I'm now home and ready to upload my photos and make a few posts to get you all caught up on my most recent adventure.

My assignment in Georgia with the OSCE took me to the out-of-the-way region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, where I was based in the small city of Akhaltsikhe.

Akhaltsikhe, as seen from a nearby hilltop

Located in the southern part of the country, in the mountains near the Turkish border, my duties involved covering election day activities and vote tabulation in the small villages around the town of Aspindza.

It was a beautiful area - situated in the narrow valley of the Kura River, it is home to small family-cultivated plots of land that supply just enough produce for the region, with cows, goats, and sheep grazing on the steep rocky slopes (when they aren't blocking the road along the river or the small, rough cart-paths that lead up into the villages).

Kura River, near Aspindza, running fast and high

There were few luxuries here - though there were some interesting cultural sights, and overwhelming hospitality. Most of the homes were simple cinder block affairs, although many did have satellite dishes attached to their corrugated metal roofs.

Now that I'm home again - and back to a more regular schedule (and reliable internet access) - I'll start uploading my photos and stories - about one a day for the next week - and hope that you will enjoy them...

SPB

MIA

No need to worry - I'm safe and sound back in Tbilisi after wandering the mountains of southern Georgia, where Internet access was non-existent...

Not that I had any time to write anyway, with a demanding schedule over the past five days that consisted of not enough sleep, plenty of Georgian hospitality, and some amazing sightseeing...

Oh, yea - there was an election in there too! But being an election observer here means not enough sleep and plenty of Georgian hospitality...

The election committee in every precinct insisted on welcoming us with an offer of "tea" - which included a prolonged series of toasts featuring locally home-made wine that had the varrying effects of hard apple cider (VERY hard) to semi-sweet moonshine. The one time I managed to waive off the wine they provided me with bottled water - which, I discovered during a toast, was filled with vodka...

Considering that I traveled along some of the most horrendous roads imaginable repeating this process in a dozen mountain villages, I think I'm holding up fine - and will hopefully shake it off during the 24 hours of flying and layovers that I will be starting at around 2 a.m.

In the meantime, I'm going to get cleaned up...

SPB

Back in the USSR

Well, not exactly...

I'm in one of the former republics of the old Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - this time the Republic of Georgia, just north of where I was last year when I visited Armenia.

I left Seattle at 4:26 on Thursday afternoon, and after flying through the under-renovation Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX (SUX) and then through Munich (very nice), I arrived in Tbilisi at dawn on Saturday morning - which, after considering the time difference, amounts to 24 hours on-the-go travel...

Ugh...

I've checked into the very nicely appointed Courtyard Marriot Tbilisi - by far the most posh place I've ever spent money on during a mission, even concidering that I've been assigned a roommate and am splitting the cost. I usually prefer to stay in a more modest place and save my per-deim, but far be it for me to break the rules...

Took my morning walk after a brief nap, and time to get out and about with some of my colleagues for this mission.

We start our briefings tomorrow, and then head out into the field on Monday afternoon (Monday? I think? What day is it?)

More Later...

SPB

Peaches? No, Grapes!

My colleagues on the staff of the Senate Democratic Caucus in Olympia have been very enthusiastic about my upcoming journey to The Republic of Georgia...

They keep telling me to have fun in Atlanta, and asking for me to bring back some peaches and an autograph from Anderson Cooper at CNN...

But I'm going to "the other Georgia" - the one named after Saint George, not King George.

Of course, that begs the question: Exactly what does one bring back as a souvineer from the Republic of Georgia?

For those in the know, the answer is obvious - wine!

Yes, believe it or not, the Republic of Georgia is known for its wine - at least in that part of the world.

In fact, Georgia has a history of winemaking dating back 7,000 years, and is believed to be one of the first places where grapes were cultivated specificially for winemaking.

While it doesn't have the reputation that other wine-producing nations have, I'm definitely looking forward to sampling some of the local product again - many of the meals I enjoyed during my mission last year in neighboring Armenia were accompanied with Georgian wine, and it was quite good if a bit sweet for my taste...

So - I've managed to bring back Albanian Konjak (cognac) and Armenian Ararat Brandy from my prior missions...

How about a nice bottle of Ojaleshi?

Georgia in the News

A colleague of mine at the Senate Democratic Caucus, Mark Rosen, thought he'd do me a favor by sharing with me a link to some stories coming out of the Republic of Georgia on Reuters News Service:

Georgia says "very close" to war with Russia

U.S. slams Russia over rising tensions with Georgia

Georgian rebels ask Russian army for help

Georgia leader defends reputation in election

Gee, Mark, thanks... I think...

Not your typical vacation

Next week I'll be leaving for my third mission as a volunteer election observer with the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe. With some new friends and colleagues reading this blog for the first time, I've decided to remind everyone about exactly what it is that this involves.

The OSCE is a collection of countries that includes the U.S., Canada, the European Union, and the members of the former Soviet Union. They engage in a variety of activities aimed at improving the security of all members by focusing on conflict avoidance and resolution through a variety of cooperative means, including what they call "democratization."

Part of this involves member nations inviting other members to send election observers to witness their democratic process at work and to provide feedback on the results - which is what I've done on prior missions to Albania in 2005 and Armenia in 2007.

On May 21, the Republic of Georgia - a former member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) - will be holding elections for their Parliament, and have asked the OSCE to send observers.

I'll be one of 31 Americans joining hundreds of volunteers from other OSCE nations in the process of observing the elections and providing feedback to help the Republic of Georgia in their transition from a one-party form of government to a multi-party democracy.

The process is quite complicated, but fascinating and fun - especially for a political junkie like me. It's not a typical vacation, but I'm not a lay-on-the-beach kind of guy, either...

I get all kinds of question about exactly what this involves, and I've decided to provide you all with some of the FAQs:

Is this safe?
Pretty much...

The OSCE doesn't send election observation missions to nations where there isn't an established government, or where there's open armed conflict.

That being said, many of the former Soviet Republics are experiencing political tensions as the ally themselves either with the Russian Federation or the West, and some of them have separatist regions that don't get along with the central government.

In Georgia, the atmosphere leading up to the parliamentary elections in May is expected to be tense. Casual travelers are also advised to avoid the border regions of Chechnya, Dagestan, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Kabarda-Balkar and Karachay-Cherkessia due to land mines, civil unrest and a high incidence of kidnapping.

How much do you get paid?
Nothing - I'm a volunteer.

How much does this cost you?
Nothing - the U.S. State Department, through a private contractor, provides my airline tickets and covers my expenses.

How do you know where to go and what to do?
The OSCE makes all of the logistical arrangements - local transportation, accommodations, etc.

What do you know about Georgian election law that qualifies you to do this?
Nothing - the first thing we'll do after arriving in Tbilisi and getting settled in is to receive a crash-course in everything we need to know about their election process. It covers all of the logistical and security arrangements for the mission, the political situation, election law, and the process for us to make our observations and report them for analysis.

When did you learn to speak Georgian?
I haven't. The observers can all get along because the working language of the OSCE is English, I'll be assigned a local driver and translator once I deploy to the area where I'll be working.

Do you get to sight-see while you're there?
Sort of. After the briefings in the capital, teams are deployed all over the country to observe the elections at the local level. Once deployed, we familiarize ourselves with the area by having our driver and translator take us out to visit the polling places ahead of time, as well as to meet local elections officials and candidates. Naturally, we end up seeing some of the local sights along the way - and we always have some off-time in the schedule to explore as well.

Who will you work with?
Each person is paired off with someone from another country as a partner. Each two-person team gets a local driver and translator - the driver is usually just some guy who happens to have a car, and the translator is usually a student from a local university.

What exactly do you do?
On election day, we go to as many local polling places as we can to see if there are any complications. We have forms to track the various events we witness, like what times a polling place opened, whether or not certain procedures are being followed, and if anyone was interfering with the process. We fax reports in to a central OSCE office at various times throughout the day, and when the polling places close we go to the nearest place where the ballots are counted and observe the process there - in my previous missions to Albania and Armenia, they used manual ballot processing that goes on non-stop for days! We usually work the first 24 hours non-stop, and then work in 12-hour shifts until the results are in.

The tentative schedule that I'll be following in Georgia is available online here.

What do you do if you see something suspicious?
We're observers - not referees. We're not allowed to interfere in the election process, so we limit our involvement to asking questions through our translators, noting our observations and reporting them.

What happens when you're done?
A long bus ride back to the capital, a group debriefing, and a reception and all-night party followed by a 4 a.m. flight out of the country.

What becomes of all the work you did?
The OSCE analyzes all the data gathered by observes at dozens or hundreds of sites all over the country on election day to see if there are any specific trends to show how well their election process works. They will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions the day after the election, and a formal report about eight weeks later.

What if I want to know more?
Just post a question to the comment section, and I'll answer it!

Much more to follow...

SPB

Georgia on my Mind

Yesterday I received an e-mail inviting me to once again participate as an international elections observer with the Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe or OSCE - this time on their mission to the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Georgia.

Alright, first things first...

Forget "Atlanta" and think "Tbilisi"

Forget "U.S. Civil War" and think "Rose Revolution"

Forget "Newt Gingrich" and think "Eduard Shevardnadze"

This will be my third mission with the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions & Human Rights, or ODIHR - which is active in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and rule of law.

OSCE member-states include the United States, Canada, the nations of the European Union, and the nations that were part of the former Soviet Union.

I am tentatively set to leave on May 15 for a 10-day mission - unlike my missions to Albania in 2005 and Armenia in 2007, I probably won't be able to squeeze in an extended post-mission layover in Europe this time.

If you would like to read about my most recent adventure as an observer to the 2007 parliamentary elections in Armenia and my subsequent wandering in Tuscany, scroll down to the "Again? Yes - Again" entry - subsequent post appear above this.

If you would like to read about my first adventure as an election observer to the 2005 parliamentary elections in Albania, scroll all the way down to the bottom entry.

As always - much more to come!

SPB

So what ever happened at that Armenian election?

As everyone who didn't sleep through civics class (or who has worked on a political campaign) knows, an election doesn't end when the polling places close...

And as anyone involved in Washington state politics knows, an election doesn't even end when they've counted the votes - at least not after they've counted them the first time... or even the second... or even the third...

For international elections I've observed with the OSCE, the counting of the ballots and the reporting procedures were done by hand and the national election laws ususally have deadlines that reflect this.

In Armenia, the votes were supposed to be counted at the local polling places within ten hous of the polling places being closed - after which all the election materials and the completed election protocol (a "results sheet") are transfered to a Territorial Elections Center (which is the "stairwell-was-a-urinal" building where I was assigned on election night).

The "Boss" of the Territorial Election Commission on election night - with sealed bags containing ballots piled in the corner behind him.


The observations by OSCE volunteers in 108 polling places and 39 out of the 41 Territorial Elections Centers resulted in thousands of observation forms being filled out with an incredible amount of data - all of which is analyzed and processed into a Post-Election Report, the preliminary version of which is now online at http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/24667_en.pdf.html





The "Boss" of the Territorial Election Commission on the phone with officials at the Centeral Election Commission:

"I can't believe what those idiots at the PEC did with this crap! They just threw it all into a box and brought it to us. The bags weren't sealed! Their protocol sheets were full of errors! The math doesn't add up! What am I supposed to do with this mess?

"OK, that's what we'll do - we'll put it all in a broom closet in the back room and take care of it later...."

In short - there were procedural problems observed during the election, which are summed up as follows:

Following the 12 May elections to the National Assembly and the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions by the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) on 13 May, the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) continued to observe the vote tabulation, the announcement of results and the handling of complaints and appeals.

• During these last stages of the election process, the OSCE/ODIHR EOM observed certain inconsistencies with established regulations and departures from best electoral practice which do not contribute to strengthening public confidence in the election process.

• The vote count and tabulation were protracted but completed generally within legal deadlines. However, delay by the Central Election Commission (CEC) in posting tabulated results from the Yerevan constituencies on its website compromised transparency measures put in place for
these elections.

• Several Territorial Election Commissions (TECs) were observed ordering corrections to Precinct Election Commission (PEC) protocols, including adjustments to “initial data” (for example, number of voters according to the voter lists, number of ballots received), contrary to the Election Code.

• The OSCE/ODIHR EOM observed discrepancies, some of them significant, between certified polling station protocol copies and preliminary disaggregated results tabulated by TECs and submitted electronically mainly via a networked computer system. While such mistakes may not have been deliberate, they included numbers swapped between lines, incorrect calculations and discrepancies in initial data.

• Three of the nine CEC members refused to sign the protocol of the nationwide preliminary proportional contest results, citing reports of violations that called into question the accuracy of the results. They refused also to sign the final results protocol.

• Recounts of results were initially requested in twelve constituencies, and took place to completion in five. These were conducted in accordance with the law and revealed no major results discrepancies with the preliminary results.

• At least 20 complaints and appeals relating to election day were received and adjudicated by the CEC and TECs.

• The president and the prime minister have stated that criminal responsibility for electoral violations is to be pursued. Some criminal cases have been initiated related to falsification of results, bribery and fraud involving the voter list. The OSCE/ODIHR welcomes these steps and emphasizes the importance of the thorough and impartial investigation of all alleged irregularities.

Images From afar

I've finally returned to Seattle, and although I haven't made as many posts as I would like to I do know that what you're really missing are my photos, so here they are:

Armenian Interior Decor

Armenain Architecture - The building where I worked all night in the third-floor election center - no working bathrooms, and the unlit stairwell smelled like it doubled as a urinal...

Armenian Food

Armenian Cheese

Armenain Trout

Armenian Traffic

The Armenian Republican Party

And, Finally - FLORENCE as seen from my "room with a view"

Breaking Away

After getting caught up on my sleep and finding my way around town, I finally got around to renting a bike and hitting the roads.

"Florence by Bike" is quite a nice little shop near the heart of the city, with a retail shop on one side of the street where you can buy anything that's bicycle + Italian, and the workshop across the street rents almost anything you'd want to ride - from scooters to city bikes to mountainbikes to full-Campy racing bikes.



Once Massimo set me up on a Bianchi, I was ready to go - maneuvering through the city traffic was like racing a criterium on cobblestones, keeping pace with Vespas and Fiats and SmartCars - the best workout I've had in a long time...

Once out of the city I followed the roadsigns into the Tuscan countryside, and I have to tell ya: If there's anything more fun than getting lost in a foreign country, it's getting lost in a foreign counrty on a bicycle...

Climbing hills up the wrong roads...

Accidentally entering the on-ramp to the Autostrada...

Wandering aimlessly until you end up at the end of the day in Sienna, exhausted and having to take the train back to Florence...



Not unlike "Smilin' Bob Cartwright" back home at Old Town Bicycle, doing an accidental Century out past Horseshoe Lake - just substitute vineyards and olive groves for pine trees, and a train ride home instead of a long solo slog up Bethel-Burley Road...

Plus, my post-workout rountine has an added dimension...

Returning to Florence, I've got an endless array of post-workout carbs to chose from!

Ciao!

SPB

Getting Caught Up....

I've finally found a spot in Florence where I can make a tentitave attempt to get caught up with news of my latest adventure...

Armenia was quite an experience - culturally, geographically and, of course, politically.

My accomidations were much better than I'd expected, so I'll attach a single photo for now to demonstrate the palacial setting in which we were housed...



The politics were, of course, equally inpressive.

Here's a shot of the local Republican party logo, which is something their counterpart in America might want to consider...



Of course, it wasn't all politics. While doing recon of the polling places we'd be observing on election day, my teammate Robin Soderberg and I got to explore some of the few local sights that remain after the massive 1988 earthquake that killed more than 25,000 people in this area.

One of the more interesting spots we explored was an ancient monistary, built when Armenia was the first nation to officially adopt Christianity back in the 3-4th Century.




I'll save the election-day photos for another entry, since they require some explaination and I'm sure most of my readers are far more interested in the fun things like sight-seeing, food and drink, bicycling, and - of course - the art of Florence...

For now, I'll leave you all with an image from my "Room with a View."



Ciao Bella!

SPB

Assignment: Gyumri

I’ve gotten word that my assignment in Armenia will involve observing political campaign and election activities in the city of Gyumri, in the northwest corner of Armenia near the border with Turkey.

Ever curious, I’ve done some homework about where I’ll be spending some time.

The city of Gyumri has about 120,000 voters. As is common for many cities of the former Soviet Union, it has been know by a variety of names which reflect the politics of the times. It was briefly known as Kumayri at the end of the Cold War, before that Leninakan, and before that Alexandropol.

Perhaps it’s most conspicuous “modern” feature are the large cemeteries, some full of the victims of the 1988 earthquake that killed nearly 25,000 people. Despite many well-intentioned efforts, the economy of the city remains a shambles ten years after the event. There is still a substantial international presence from various assistance projects. The past few years have seen noticeable progress in housing, as well as business, infrastructural and beautification efforts.

As Armenia's largest old town, much of it showing earthquake damage, Gyumri provides the opportunity for very interesting walks. Gyumri's people had a great deal of pride in their city before the earthquake, which is today in large part replaced with despair at the lack of job opportunities.

The city is built on a north-south axis, with the center consisting of a main square that has a couple of pedestrians-only streets leading away from it, two large churches anchoring the two ends, and fountains in the center. It used to be the big partly covered shuka (market) which was leveled by the Soviet government (commie rat bastards...)


There are a variety of sites of historic and archeological interest in and around the city, including Iron Age, Bronze Age, Roman and Medieval settlements as well as the relatively more modern remnants of the Russian Alexandropol fortress that was constructed in 1834.

In fact, the city was site of a major Russian Army garrison and fortress since its conquest in 1804, a role it continues to play even today. The few thousand Russian troops still based in Armenia serve as a reminder that Russia would intervene militarily were Turkey to invade Armenia. Pending the unlikely event of an invasion, the Russian troops grow potatoes and find other ways to stay alive.

What Am I Doing Again?

For many of my friends, this is a refresher course – but for some of you, this is the first time that you’ve lived vicariously through someone going to a far-off land to volunteer as an elections observer.

Here’s some background:

Although I've always kept up on politics, I didn't really get involved until fairly recently - shortly after moving to Gig Harbor, Washington a few years ago. Having become active in local politics, I was asked to participate as an observer during the manual-recount of the votes during our very close governor's election here last year. For those of you not in Washington think "Florida - 2000" but without all those "chads" in a governor's election that separated the winner by 129 votes out of nearly three million...

During that episode, I met some people who said "If you think looking over a vote counter's shoulders is fun here, you should try it overseas!”

And, after some encouragement and on-line research, I applied to volunteer as a Short Term Observer (STO) with the OSCE.

The OSCE is the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe - which is a group of 55 countries including the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the former Soviet republics. It is involved in a huge variety of projects - from arms control to border management to conflict prevention. Their website is
www.osce.org

One of their very important programs is to assist the participating member states in building democratic institutions. This is done by their Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and rule of law. They deploy volunteer elections observers to member states whenever those states request an OSCE presence to validate their elections as meeting international standards. Many Americans might be surprised that the OSCE-ODIHR deployed an Election Observation Mission to Ohio during the 2004 Presidential election (their final report on that election is less than encouraging).

OSCE missions are only deployed when there is a request by the host nation, and when there is a peaceful environment in which a democratic presence has been initially established. They are 100% safe.

Alright... 99% safe. It’s always advised to use bottled water, and whether you do or not it’s also a good idea to carry your own toilet paper. Election night on July 3, 2005 found me wandering the Albanian countryside at 2 a.m. with a flashlight in one hand and a roll of Charmin in the other...

So how did I end up on one of these "missions?"

To become a participant, I had to complete a very complicated application process with PAE-REACT, a corporation that recruits qualified individuals for placement in a database that is used by the State Department in selecting Americans to fill various OSCE positions.

I'll be participating as a STO on a typical ten-day mission to Armenia to watch them set up polling places, cast their ballots, and count the votes. To get some idea of what my trip may be like, visit the "Week in the Life of an Election Observer" webpage at http://www.pae-react.com/ by clicking on "Photo Gallery" and then use the drop-down menu to choose "A Week In the Life of an Election Observer."

On this particular mission, the United States is deploying about a dozen Americans as part of an international group of about 300 short-term observers to the May 12 parliamentary elections in Armenia. You can learn more about the OSCE involvement at http://www.osce.org/odihr-elections/item_12_23637.html

In 2005, I was one of 37 Americans to volunteer along with about 400 STOs from other nations in Albania for their Parliamentary election – details of which are below in the blog I originally started to chronicle that experience.

How can I afford to fly half-way around the world to do this?

Well, someone else is making all of the arrangements and paying for everything - all I have to do is the work! Each county covers the expenses of their volunteers, including their roundtrip airfare and providing them with a stipend to cover the costs of their accommodations, meals, in-country transportation and pay for their translator.

It may sound like a paid-vacation, but we’re actually roughing it. My outbound trip will last 22 hours, of which 17 hours will be in coach seats on three different flights across 11 time zones. Can you say “jet lag?”

And, once I get to my destination, I’ll be staying in the luxury of the best one-star accommodations to be found in all of Armenia...

But the people I’ll be meeting will offer great conversation on politics from all over the world, and I’ll be totally immersed in a week-long Armenian civics lesson. It’s a great adventure for a political geek like me, but it’s also a great opportunity to hopefully lay-over in Europe on my way back for a bit of vacation.

I’ve gotten much less notice for this mission than I did in 2005 – it’s less than a week to go, and my passport still hasn’t been sent back to me with my visa and airline tickets – so it looks like I’ll be cutting it close and adventuring with minimal time to plan ahead.

So – I’ll let you in on the specifics as soon as I know them...

SPB

Again? Yes - Again!

That's right!

Volunteering as an elections observer once wasn't enough - I'm going back for more!

For those of you new to my very intermittent postings, I started this blog so my friends and family could keep track of my travels in 2005 as a volunteer elections observer in Albania, which was followed by a visit to the Tour de France and a side trip to Turkey.

It was a fabulous experience, and I've been eager to go back on another mission with the OSCE. And, as luck would have it, I was offered an opportunity at just the right time - as my work with the Senate Democratic Caucus in Olympia was coming to an end and I was ready for a bit of a vacation.

So, get ready for another adventure!

But don't expect quite as much of an odyssey as my last mission - since the Senate Democratic Caucus made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and now I've got a job to come back to!

I'll be leaving for Yerevan, Armenia on in just six days - and I still don't have my itinerary, so I don't yet know where I'll be laying over on my way back - if at all (though I am crossing my fingers for a chance to see another great European bicycle race).

More to come!

Epilogue

So – what did I learn and discover during my summer vacation?

“Killing Me Softly With His Song” is the national anthem of Albania… maybe not officially, but I swear that you can’t sit in a café or restaurant anywhere in Albania without hearing it, and for the rest of my life I’ll think of my first mission as an elections observer whenever I hear the heartbroken voice of Roberta Flack circa 1972…

It’s good to be Liberal… to walk the streets of Vienna, Baden Baden, Mulhouse, Lyon and Paris and see street signs for “John F. Kennedy Platz” and “Boulevard President Roosevelt.” Somehow, the names Ronald Reagan and George Bush were conspicuously absent…

It’s good to be Canadian…to be an English-speaking tourist who doesn’t have to answer for a foreign policy that is almost universally seen – from Albania to Austria to Germany to France to Turkey – as being… well… use you imagination…

It’s good to be exposed to unfamiliar and unexpected surroundings… to sleep in places you normally wouldn’t sleep, eat foods you normally wouldn’t eat, use Turkish toilets you normally wouldn’t squat over, and to “rely upon the kindness of strangers…”

It’s good to “get off the plane” as a friend has described it – to take advantage of the unexpected opportunities that life presets us with…

With luck, I’ll be able to participate on an OSCE mission about once per year – and although I seriously doubt that I’ll turn every opportunity into such an extended vacation, I can’t imagine turning down a chance to volunteer as an elections observer again.

Thanks for reading - and keep in touch through info@perceptualmotion.net

SPB

Home Again

Well, I finally made it back to beautiful Gig Harbor, Washington after a 21 hour journey from Vienna to Copenhagen to Seattle.

Here's a travel tip - if you're ever going to be the victim of a delayed flight, do so in Copenhagen.

It's a very nice airport, with some excellent places to eat and some very lavish stores in which to do duty-free shopping.

It's clean and roomy and airy and comfortable, and has those nice hardwood floors that somehow just seem to say "welcome to Scandinavia..."

It has plenty of European newspapers in every language imaginable - plus English - and has very helpful staff that either speaks your language - whatever that happens to be - or can find someone else who does.

It has plenty of bathroom facilities, and they don't make you pay to use them.

It's well laid out and organized.

In other words - there's nothing French about it.

Of course, I'd rather not have a delay - but if they really want to change out one of the engines on the Airbus that's going to carry me across nine time zones, I'll wait a few hours for them to do so.

The flight itself didn't even feel like it took ten hours, the service was so good - Scandinavian Airlines flying westbound seems to be just as nice as Austrian Airlines was flying eastbound. I got three fine meals, saw three good movies, and had dozens of music channels - all no-charge, even sitting in the cheap seats at the back of the plane.

Plus pretzels!

Of course, there was the seemingly inevitable glitch at the end of the trip...

Somehow, I'm beginning to think my backpack doesn't like extended over-water flights...

Remember how it managed to go missing somewhere between New York City and Tirana, Albania?

Well, once in Europe it managed to stay with me for an entire month - from Tirana to Shkodra to Tirana to Vienna to Baden Baden to Mulhouse to Lyon to Courchevel to Lyon to Vienna to Istanbul to Vienna to Lyon to Paris to Vienna...

And then, somewhere along the way from Vienna to Copenhagen to Seattle, it went missing again...

That's right!

I arrived in Seattle, but my backpack didn't!

I'm sure all of my compatriots from "Team Shkoder" are laughing with sympathy on hearing this news - though somewhat relieved at the knowledge that I won't be wearing the same shirt for five days this time.

So - Old Town Bicycle teamies, you'll have to wait just a bit longer for all that great swag I promised you...

Everyone else - you'll have to wait just a bit longer for your special gifts from the exotic wilds of Albania and Turkey.

I do, however, have several hundred digital images to sort through - and will be sending those out shortly.

One more post to come later...

SPB

Vienna Waits For You

After a latenight departure from Paris on Sunday, a 15 hour rail journey brought me to Vienna and the flat of my "old friend" from the OSCE Albania mission - Marie Allegret, who generously offered me a comphy spot on her livingroom floor for my seeping bag.

Marie is a Frenchwoman who studied at the London Schoo of Economics and has expatriated herself to Vienna - where she makes a living at home by trading options on the American stock markets. It makes for an interesting life, considering Vienna is six hours ahead of Wall Street.

Her work day was just about to start when I arrived at her flat, and we spent a wonderful evening discussing economics, politics, our OSCE mission in Albania, life in general, and everything else you can imagine as she kept an eye on her short positions on the NASDAQ while a great early-evening thunderstorm passed by her open fourth-story balcony overlooking a monistary across the courtyard below.

By the time the markets closed on Wall Street, it was time for us to head out for a very late dinner at a typically Vienneese neighborhood restaurant.

Today is my final chance to be lazy in a great Old World, European capitol before beginning my long jet-lag inducing journey back to Gig Harbor, and after so much running around it'll be good to take it easy for a day reading an English language newspaper and people-watching from a coffee shop in the cobblestone-lined pedestrian-only section of the old city.

"Where's the fire, what's the hurry about,
You better cool it off before you burn it out.
There's always so much to do, and only so many hours in a day...

You've got your passion, you've got your pride,
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied.
You're going to kick-off before you even get halfway through...

When will you realize - Vienna waits for you..."

The City of Lights

A rainy morning of people-watching from a streetside cafe in Paris - followed by a sunny afternoon of bike racing on the "Champs."

Well - not really "racing" per se...

I'm not sure how it looked to my OTB Teamies back in "the Harbor," but from the turn-around at the Arc de Triumph it looked like a retirement gift for Lance Armstrong. The peloton soft peddled every lap - at a pace that seemed more forgiving than our Sunday morning ride back to Suzzanes for coffee and muffins and brownies and coffee and cookies...

Bob Cartwright and I could have taken those guys today - at least at the end of the circuit from which I was watching, even after we'd had coffee and muffins and brownies and coffee and cookies...

Speaking of which, did anyone see me on OLN? I was the American without a U.S. or Texas state flag blocking everyone elses photo-ops...

Anyway, it was good to see the real thing up close and personal - I didn't start the day at the front of the crowd - but the slow pace actually discouraged the "how-can-he-be-winning-if-he's-so-far-back-in-the-field" tourists from staying until the very end...

Tonight it's a night train from Paris to Munich, then on to Vienna for a few days before resuming 'a life more ordinary...'

Bis Morgan...

SPB

Tour de Lance

This is going to be quick - I finally found a French internet cafe that's open on a Sunday, but my connection keeps timing out...

Yesterday I saw Lance do what he does best - crush his competition in the Race of Truth, the individual time trial. Of course having a main rival suffer from horrible luck by continually falling off of his bike and getting flat tires helps, but even without the intervening hand of Fate stepping in, Armstrong clobbered the competition.

It's a rainy Sunday morning in Paris, and I'm about to go scout out my location near the Arc de Triumph for today's historic finale...

When I have a better connection I'll tell you all what it was like to spend the night in a four-bed dorm room with three German-speaking Chinesse tourist from Austria...

Trust me - the world is a much smaller place than most of us imagine...

SPB

Saılıng to Byzantıum

Byzantıum...

Constantınople...

Istanbul...

An amazıng cıty... so old ıt has three names... so great ıt straddles the Bosphorus wıth one foot ın Europe and the other ın Asıa...

I spent a few days ın the anıcent sectıon of Sultanamhet - seeıng all of the anıcıent sıtes...

Into the darkness of the cavernous cycterns - created by the emperor Justınıan to hold the cıty's water supply, and made famous ın the James Bond fılm 'From Russıa Wıth Love...'

I sat through the mıd-day prayer at the Blue Mosque...

Yea, I know...

Forget ıt everybody...

That was my once-a-year-trıp to a house of worshıp, so don't anyone thınk about gettıng marrıed or droppıng dead untıl 2006, cause I won't be there for ya...

Shoppıng ın the Grand Bazzare - waıt tıl ya see the stuff I'm havıng sent home...

And I got treated to the ultımate ındulgence - a treatment fıt for a sultan at a 300 year old Turkıs Bath!

Yea, I know...

Forget ıt everybody...

A Turkısh Bath ın Turkey ısn' the same thıng as a Turkısh Bath ın San Francısco - although they do scrub you down 'everywhere' when they bath you, whıch comes after the hot room and the full body massage by a very talented massuse, and ıs followed up by a real shave by a real Turkısh berber...

Yea, I know...

Forget ıt everybody...

Back ın my polıtıcally ıncorrect conservatıve youth, I never would have let ANYONE hold a straıght razor to my throat. But I'm very metrosexual now, and can apprecıate a kınd and skılled gentleman who spends ten mınutes just latherıng my face, and an eternıty foldıng and gently pınchıng my skın to shave off each whısker one by one...

After that, ıt was off to the coast for a few days of cruısıng wıth new-found frıends between the ancıent ports and sheltered coves of the Turkısh Medıteranıan - crystal-clear blue waters and ancıent ruıns the lıkes of whıch I'm not lıkely to see agaın anytıme soon...

Of course, there ıs one bıg downsıde to all of thıs adventure - very lıttle communıcatıon wıth the outsıed world.

Dıd I say there was a downsıde?

I've actually found ınternet cafes almost everywhere - but for some reason the connectıon to the AO-Hell servers from Turkey are sluggısh beyond descrıptıon or reason. I haven't even been able to SEE my e-maıl, let alone respond to ıt - and I'm postıng thıs dırectly through my blog sıte...

So - to antıcıpate some questıons...

Yes - I'm comıng back. Eventually. Probably. I'll thınk about ıt.

No - I'm not spendıng too much money - actually, no more than I was plannıng to spend anyway, yet havıng far more fun than leap-froggıng Stages of the Tour de France (sorry guys)...

Yes - I'm plannıng on headıng back to France to see the Tıme Trıal on Saturday and the fınale ın Parıs on Sunday.

No - not yet - but I wouldn't rule ıt out...

There goes the 5pm call to Mosque - gotta go!

More Later...

SPB

Where in the World is Steve Breaux?

Hello All...

 

Following the Tour de France is an amazing, fantastic experience...

 

But it's also quite tiring - especially when you're going solo and handling all of the logistics yourself, much of it on-the-fly.  It's an on-the-go, all-the-time, if-this-isTuesday-those-must-be-the-Alps kind of experience.

 

So, I've decided to throw caution to the wind and abandon my already loose itinerary for a while.  Several people I've met along the way have extended very generous invitations to hook up with them on their European vacations, and I've decided to take them up on their offers.

 

So, where am I?

 

I'm in a very historic place, even by European standards. 

 

So historic, in fact, it has three different names...

 

Anyone venture to take a guess?

 

SPB

Lance in the Alps

So there I was - high in the Alps at Courchevel 1850, camped out a night ahead of time to claim a good spot for the anticipated day when Lance Armstrong would put the hurt on the competition and reclaim the Yellow Jersey...

First, the journey...

By train from Mulhouse to Lyon, and then a rented car into the mountains - the trains only going as far as Moutier, at the base of Courchevel, and still 30k from the finish...

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy driving in Europe. The French national highway system is one thing they've done close to right. Not as nice as the German Autobahn (but what is), but better than the American Interstate. Yes, it has a speed limit - but at 130kph (plus my customary 10%) - it's a speed limit I can live with. Adopting the French habit of yielding to no one, I managed to fit right in...

Up the switchbacks of Courchevel in a late afternoon thunderstorm - watching cyclists struggle up to the finish, knowing that they're miserably working up the bragging rights to say 'I did it..."

I spend an entire morning hiking high into the meadow-covered ski runs, past 3000 meters - an incredible day in the mountains that was long past due...

In the afternoon, a bunch of us - Germans, Aussies, and a variety of others - gathered around a camper van with a television, watching the race develop as they drew close - anticipating the moment when Lance and company would catch a breakaway...

And then it happened - off he went! You could tell even if you weren't watching the television - by the moaning sounds of "Nein...." "Mein Gott..." and the general misery of the Germans who just knew that it was happening all over again...

By the time Lance came past, he was on fire - making the climb look ridiculously easy. An amazing sight to see... A fabulous moment to experience...

And I think I got "The Shot..."

Gotta run for now...

More Later...

SPB

France... Not So Much...

So, how am I doing so far?

 

Well, Le Tour De France I'm enjoying quite a bit...

 

But France... Not so much...

 

First, there's that language thing I mentioned in a pervious post - and I'm willing to accept all of the fault on that one.  I'm an Ugly American who never took high school French, and I knew that when I came here...

 

But it's really the little things that I'm having a problem with - and a lot of that is really more my having been spoiled by having lived in a neat and orderly Germany for three years a lifetime ago.

 

Example. 

 

They're a bit lax on their schedules here - and anyone who knows me knows that I'm early infinately more often than I'm late, and I really hate to be kept waiting because someone else doesn't know what they're doing...

 

On a German railway schedule, for instance, they post the train number, the time it arrives, the cities it's going to, and the track it'll be arriving on.  All of this is very important, because their very punctual trains typically only spend a minute or two in the station.  Blink and you miss it, so you really need all of this info at the ready...

 

In France, the schedule doesn't include the track number.  Sure, it's a tiny detail - but what the hell, it's not like the train to Lyon is going to be stuck in a holding pattern because of a weather delay and end up arriving on a different track!  I'm catching the 07:13 train to Lyon tomorrow, and I want to know where to be ahead of time...

 

It's the little things... like being turned away from one of the few open restaurents in Mulhouse at 5:35pm because they close at 6:00pm - apparently the French round upwards when closing time is near...

 

The fact that restaurents are closed at all - even on a Sunday - in a nation supposedly obsessed with fine cuisine is something else all together.  Having to eat McDonnald's is bad enough - eating it in France is just wrong...

 

And in Germany, they'd at least offer you some beer with your Big Mac - the French don't serve wine with their Royal with Cheese...

 

Fine French cuisine my @ss...

 

Tomorrow I'm catching a train to Lyon, and then into the Alps to position myself ahead of time to hopefully see Lance retake the Yellow Jersey - maybe even in a breakaway - up Courchevel.

 

Camping in the Alps - it' not likely I'll be e-mailing for a while (in fact, I haven't seen an i-cafe since I've been in France.  They just happen to offer free internet at my hotel).

 

By the way, I was on the left side of the finishing approach at about the 250m mark at today's finish, for any of the guys looking for me on OLN - right on the barricade, and I think I got a good shot of Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen on his solo through breakaway stage win...

 

So Le Tour...  Yes, very much...

 

France...  Not so much...

 

SPB

 

Gee - They sure talk funny here...

I miss Vienna...

 

I miss Baden Baden...

 

I miss knowing what the hell people are saying...

 

In case you haven't figured it out yet - I'm in France!

 

Funny thing is, I hardly remember getting here.  I got on a train, and before I knew it I couldn't understand a single thing anyone was saying...

 

Did I cross a border somewhere? 

 

Going into California from a neighboring state, they make you stop to check if you're bringing in fresh fruit...

 

But here - somewhere along the line - my train crossed the Rhine and...

 

Nothing Happened!

 

No Passport check...

 

No x-ray machines...

 

No taking off the shoes looking of a bomb...

 

No need to chance money, because the Deutsch Mark and French Franc are extinct - replaced by the Euro...

 

I actually feel like a fool for marking off a day on my EurailPass because - I swear to God - I did't even have to show a ticket on a two train journey from Baden Baden to Strassbourg to Mulhouse...

 

Europe Rocks - except for this annoying language thing, and that's just the French insisting on ignoring letters that are there and mispronouncing half of the ones that are left...

 

I'm staying in my first real hotel since leaving home two weeks ago, and it's just a few blocks from tomorrow's Stage finish, where I'll have my best chance to show the Old Town Bicycle team colors on OLN - I'll be the guy standing behind Bob Roll making the hand gestures...

 

More Later...

 

SPB

 

"Those seats were so good - you probably scared the band!"

Rastatt, Germany

Okay, sportsfans - no more politics, no more high-minded enlightened
discussion of philosophy in a late-night European cafe...

It's time for Le Tour de France!

First - to all of the guys and gals of Old Town Bicycle - eat your
hearts out! I'm writing this from an internet-cafe less than 200m from
the Sprint-B line of today's Stage 7 from Luneville to Karlsruhe. I
was pressed right against the barrier on the left side of the road,
right after the sprint line as the road curved to the right - the
optimal spot from which to see the action...

I won't offer race details, since you might be reading this before
watching the video you're taping on OLN...

But "The TdF Experience" is something that should be done at least once.

Think "Mardi Gras on bicycles" - the crowds growing as the time draws
near, the caravan of team and sponsor vehicles tossing swag as they
roll through the barricaded streets...

A truely carnival experience - complete with Jumbotron screen mounted
on the facade of an old church in the middle of town, with a beergarden
set up in the middle of the street.

And yes, I'm wearing my OTB team jersey while grabbing some of that
genuime TdF swag for my teamies. I've already snagged a red-polka-dot
beanie - Erik, Tom and Dr. Jeff can race up Dana to see who gets it...

Tomorrow Stage 8 of Le Tour rolls through the edge of Baden Baden -
where I'm so busy chasing Le Tour that I haven't actually gotten a
chance to 'bad' myself - after which I'm off to Mulhouse to be in a
position to see the finish of Stage 9.

More Later,

SPB

Good-bye Albania - Hello Vienna

Things happened so fast once the election started it was amazing!

Back and forth to watch the counting of the votes - with dozens of
observers from other international organizations in addition to the
OSCE...

A late night wrap-up of the results in my Election Zone - followed by a
wild street party in front of our hotel that prevented anyone from
thinking of sleeping...

The next day - yesterday, July 5th - we had the morning to ourselves to
do whatever we liked, except take an early shower, since there was no
water on most floors of our luxerious $18/night hotel...

I ended up sightseeing and shopping with Carl and Shiripa - who is one
hell of a power shopper, clearing Shkodra out of handbags in ten
minutes flat...

Onto the bus back to Tirana for some street walking with Carl and Joe
to find things to bring back home, and then to the grand reception at
the Sheraton.

Someone had warned me that the end of a mission is a time for hard
choices - go to bed early to rest up for the early wake-up for your
pre-dawn flight out of Tirana, or go to the reception and then stay up
all night - because there's no point trying to have you cake and eat it
too...

I ended up at an incredible rooftop club called "The Living Room" that
had appropriate furnature scattered about and played loud music long
into the early morning hours while hundreds of political junkies
discussed everything you can imagine while killing time before their
3am shuttles to the airport for 5am flights.

I managed to make it back to the hotel with Carl in time to shower and
pack, and say a few quick goodbyes to my new friends in the lobby. I
managed to catch a nap during the flight to Vienna, and had a hard time
going down a separte lane through customs when it was time for me to go
to baggage claim and them to change planes for home - taking a separte
path from people to whom I've grown incredibly close in such a brief
time...

My time in Albania has been a life-altering experience - not because it
was Albania, although a strange environment certainly was an influence
- but because of the people I'd met and discussions I'd had...

So now I'm sitting in the Hostel Ruthensteiner near the Vienna
Westbahnoff (train station), doing some much needed laundry while
typing e-mail on a keyboard that keeps switching into some Asian
language characters.

I'll be up and out later to validate my EurailPass, do some sightseeing
in one of my favorite cities of the world, and then to meet up with
Maria - one of my closest compatriarts from Albania - with whom I'm
having dinner when she arrives later tonight, since she just happens to
call Vienna home.

Tommorow it will be a fast train across Austria and southern Gremany to
Baden Baden and the Tour de France.

SPB

E-Day Albania - Happy Birthday America

Yesterday was Election Day.

It began for me at dawn with the 5am call to morning prayer from the mosque across the street - cutting rythmic, romantic, and hauntingly through the clear morning air into my open window. Let me tell ya - this mosque has a bitchin' sound system...



Then it was outward to observe the voting at some rural polling places - the operation of which could put the old-time Chicago or New York political machines to shame, with a guy at each one that just had to be a local party-boss hand-shaking, back-slapping, cheek-kissing four times left-right-left-right every one of the party faithful who was coming back for the third time before noon to vote...



For my Fellow PCOs back in the Washington's 26th Legislative District - you don't know how good you've got it!

Try canvassing polling stations over an area the size of an entire state legislative district - but first call in the Air Force to carpet bomb the roads, because these roads are shit. Throw in drivers who have no idea of right from left, on roads that don't have center lines - or striping of any kind, for that matter. Just keep the wheels on something that vaguely resembles pavement/gravel/sand/rock and you're doing it the Albanian way - just don't forget the horse carts and goat hearders along the way...



And that's before you leave downtown Shkoder!



From the polling places to the vote counting center for an all-nighter that saw only 1/3 of the votes counted - by Albanian hands, of course. The facility was an elementary school gym, packed with partisan observers from all million-and-one of Albanias political parties.


Think "Social Democrats," "Democrat Socialists," "People's Worker's Party," " Working Peoples Party," "The Nationalist Social Party," "The Social Nationalist Party" and of course the we're-not-dead-yet Communists...




Picture a near riot just getting the ballot boxes admitted into the facility...



Picture their equilivant of a County Auditor - fresh from his office at the Rice & Grain Institute - locking nearly a hundred people in for the night in a facility that doesn't have a bathroom...



Picture convincing the guard with the AK-47 to let you go wandering in the middle of the Albanian night looking for a bathroom - only to find the nearest accomidations about a quarter mile away are a Turkish toilet in an all-night cafe's closet...



Turkish Toilet?



Trust me - if you don't already know, you don't want to. Especially if you recently ate something that just doesn't quite agree with you...



Note to Self: never go anywhere in Albania without Toilet Paper...



But it's all worth it to have an Albanian party-hack wish me a "Happy Birthday America" on the 4th of July - and to have my European colleagues offer America condolances to "Get Well Soon..."



Time for a much needed shower, a few hours sleep, and back to the vote counting center to releave some of the "Usual Suspects..."



Take Care - and Happy 229th Birthday,



SPB

If this is Friday...

If this is Friday, we must be in Shkoder...

On the way out of town our bus of 23 STOs stopped at the Austria Airlines ticket office in Tirana (which was always closed when I had time to visit) and confirmed that my backpack had arrived at Mother Theresa Intl. Airport, Tirana, Albania!

We stopped to pick it up on the way out of town, and everyone cheered as I climbed back aboard the bus with the hefty pack on my back...

Shkoder is as beat up and poor a place as you can imagine, though it also has its charm - which is far more than can be said of our 1800 Lek / night ($18) accommodation at the Hotel Rozafa!

Talk about "Soviet practicality!" Room 412 (of course on the 5th floor, since this is Europe) does have a nice open window view of the mosque, a bathroom that has to be seen to be believed, and no elevator access - though from the look of the long-ago broken lift, I probably wouldn't have trusted it anyway...

Other than that - the word "Spartan" would be a compliment. A mattress that passes for nothing of the sort worthy of the word, and pillows with the feel of a sandbag. No big deal, of course - I've slept with a sandbag for a pillow many times before...

Yesterday was classic. Most of us headed straight to the local castle with our drivers/interpreters - who gave us an excellent lay of the land while we got acquainted in the 2000-year-old fortress that has hosted everyone from the Romans to the Venetians to the Ottoman Turks to the partisan resistance fighters of World War Two.

Our LTOs are wonderful, and had organized a welcome dinner at the Restaurant Enigma (not to be confused with the Cafe Enigma) - a great patio banquet on a rocky outcrop 30 feet above the river...

More classic conversation - this time much of it with Marie, a chain-smoking Frenchwoman living as a day-trader in Vienna, and who has literally traveled all over the world, much of it solo. Ya gotta admire a woman who goes sightseeing solo in Iran...

The conversation along the table covered the entire political gamut - sharing tales of local politics from our homes, national politics of one another's countries, and international politics affecting us all.

On the personal level, it was a wide variety of life experiences - a common thread being that almost none of us lives where we were born, and many of my compatriots live lives as permanent expatriates of one kind or another, with election observation making up an alter life. A common question is "what do you do in your other life?"

We are roughly an equal mixture of American, British and German on the Shkoder expedition - with a few French and Scandinavians thrown in. English is the common working language - though German, French, and Italian are intermixed very freely - creating a verbal mélange that's surprisingly easy to keep up with, even for myself...

Several of us stayed out until well past midnight, since there was a wedding party in the banquet hall adjourning the hotel, and the music was blasting - and continued to do so until about 3am.

We don't have the throngs walking the streets here as in Tirana - were told that stopped locally during the chaos after the financial pyramid scheme collapse in the late 1990s - though this is reputed to be the bicycle capital of Albania, and they do seem to pedal about quite a bit. One of our LTOs - Claudia from Germany - told me the Tour of Albania was not too long ago...

Just think - "I coulda been a CONTENDA...... I coulda been SOMEBODY....."

The real work starts today - Area of Responsibility (AOR) familiarization with our driver/translator, then E-Day tomorrow.

I'm assigned to work as a "B-Team" member with Jorge Friedrichs of Bremen, Germany (though born in Munich...). We'll be at a Zone Election Center (ZEC) watching them count the votes, our official duties not starting until 16:00 and lasting until 08:00 the next morning - though we do plan on going out tomorrow morning to watch some polling stations open and the voting just for fun...

Yes - you know I'm a political junkie when driving around the communes on the outskirts of Shkoder to watch impoverished people execute the franchise is "fun..."

This mission is actually unusual in that they expect us to swap off with the "A-Team" members who will watch the voting. We'll be switching duties on a rotating schedule until...

Well, until all the votes are counted, or until the morning of Tuesday 5 July...

A grueling schedule - but that's what I'm here for. After all, aside for tracking down a lost backpack, I've been on political junkie paradise vacation since I arrived...

It's doubtful I'll get to send another message once the real work begins - the next message might not be posted until my return to Tirana on the afternoon of Tuesday 5 July...

SPB

Lost in Albania

No, not me...

I'm safe and sound in beautiful downtown Tirana - with it's lovely brick-paved boulevards and tree-lined streets...

Alright - there are just two of those, and the rest of the place is a mess...

No, I'm fine - it's my luggage that's missing.

My flight from JFK was two hours late leaving New York, and so by the time we got to Vienna there was no time to switch the luggage to the plane bound for Tirana.

Otherwise, I'm having the time of my life...

Really I am...

Really...

SPB

Preliminary Assignment

Things are happening fast now - and I'm glad I got a jump on my travels...

In a very unusual development, I've received some idea of where I'll be doing my work over the next week in Albania - and it looks very interesting...

After staying at the Hotel Iliria for my briefing and training while in the capital city of Tirana, I'll be moving on to participate as an election observer in the city of Shkodra.

It has a very colorful history as one of Albania's oldest cities, an important economic and cultural center with around 81,000 inhabitants. It lies on the southern part of the plain of Mbishkodra, next to the Shkodra Lake (Liqeni i Shkodr's), between the rivers Drin and Bun', the mountain of Tarabosh, and the Rozafa Castle.

For a quick overview, visit http://www.albanian.com/main/countries/albania/shkodra/index.html or http://www.geocities.com/albaland/shkodra/ or google "Shkodra."

OSCE volunteers usually have no idea of where they will be staying or with whom they will be working until they arrive - so all of this could change by the time I arrive in Albania.

I'm due to arrive in Tirana at 12:40 on Wednesday afternoon - and after settling in and meeting my cohorts I'll fill you in.

SPB

Albania in the News

I've gotten regular updates on the events on Albania that relate to the upcoming election from Leslie Smith - the Director of Recruiting for PAE-REACT (the company that overseas American volunteers to the OSCE).

 

Here's what I got from her this morning:

 

 

 

"Some of you have already departed, but many of you will have a chance to see this prior to your mission. These clips are from the Southeast European Times:"

 

Albania's Parties Urged Not to Change Representatives in Local Election Bodies

22/06/2005

TIRANA, Albania -- Ilirjan Celibashi, the head of the Central Election Commission, on Tuesday (21 June) urged all parties registered to participate in the 3 July parliamentary elections to avoid replacing party representatives to the regional election bodies. Celibashi noted that by law, political formations have the right to make such changes but he urged them not to, saying there is no time to train replacements. (Albanian News - 22/06/05)

 

US Encourages Albania to Hold Fair Elections

24/06/2005

WASHINGTON, United States -- The 3 July elections in Albania are among the most important events there since the fall of communism, US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Thursday (23 June). "Elections that meet international standards will be seen by the United States and the international community as evidence that Albania is making clear progress on the road to becoming a full member of the Euro-Atlantic community," he said. Ereli also praised Albanian political leaders for signing a code of conduct ahead of the vote.(Albanian news - 24/06/05; AP, Reuters - 23/06/05)

 

OSCE Warns of Problems in Albania's Upcoming Elections

26/06/2005

TIRANA, Albania -- The 3 July elections could be marred by irregularities, the OSCE warned in a report released Friday (24 June). Despite an agreement between all major parties, the election campaign has become rancorous once again, with politicians accusing each other of misuse of government funds and vote buying, the organisation's monitors said. They also warned that authorities must still address issues related to voter lists and transporting ballot boxes. The elections are viewed as a crucial test of Albania's political maturity, in relation to its Euro-Atlantic bids. (Albanian News, Kathimerini - 25/06/05; AP - 24/06/05)

 

Polls Show Upcoming Albanian Election Too Close to Call

27/06/2005

TIRANA, Albania -- The 3 July parliamentary election is too close to call, according to a second poll by Mjaft and Gallup that was published Sunday (26 June). Former President Sali Berisha's Democrats are projected to get 35 per cent of the vote, compared to 34 per cent for Prime Minister Fatos Nano's Socialists. The survey of 1,400 voters was taken from 13 June to 20 June. On Friday, Berisha told the German news agency DPA that he expects the Democrats to win "an absolute majority" in the 140-member parliament. (Kathimerini - 27/06/05; AP - 26/06/05; Albanian News - 25/06/05)

New York, New York

Greetings from the Big Apple!

 

I've begun my journey a little early, taking advantage of some flexibility in my schedule to lay over in NYC with my youngest brother Marc - who has lived here for a few years and just gotten a new apartment in Manhattan.  It's a somewhat cramped little place - but not as bad as New York apartments are rumored to be, and not nearly as cramped as a center seat would feel on tomorrow night's flight after a cross-country flight from Seattle. 

 

Tonight we made it out for some of the best coal-fired pizza to be found, at Lombardies on Mott & Spring streets, and then walked downtown to the WTC site.

 

Tomorrow evening I'll catch an overnight flight from JFK to Vienna - where I'll be changing planes for the capital of Albania - Tirana.

 

Once there, the 400+ volunteers from around the OSCE region will begin our briefing and training before being paired off, assigned a driver and translator, and sent off to somewhere in Albania to observe what will hopefully be a successful democratic election.

 

So - just for fun - I have no idea of where in Albania I'll be going, nor with whom.  Anyone want to venture a prediction?

 

I've been told by others who have done this before that the organizers try to keep the teams as diverse as possible - pairing volunteers of different genders from different countries, though not always.

 

So - will my teammate be a chap from Belgium?  How about a lady from Estonia?  An old guy from Ukraine?  A young Danish woman?  Or just another middle-aged American guy like myself?

 

Correct guess get a special present from Albania!

 

SPB